Stenciling apparatus



eb. 28, 1950 A H. A GATT USO STENCILING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledSept. 23, 1946 H. A. GATTusO STENCILING APPARATUS Feb. 28, 195o 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed sept. 23, 194e Patented Feb. 28, 17950 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE STENCILING APPARATUS Henry Andrew Gattuso, Adams,Mass. Applicationseptember 23, 1946,'Serial No. 698,761 Claims. (Cl.lOl-124) The present invention relates toa stenciling apparatusparticularly designedfor marking,.let tering, or decorating curvedsurfaces of cylindrical articles or the like, wherein the curved surfaceof the'article is maintained in tangential rolling line contact withthestencil'screen, while ink or paint is forced throughthe stencil by theaction of a squeegee.

The primary objectof this `invention is to provide a simplified andimproved apparatus, wherein cylindrical articles may be rapidly, easily,and efcientlyvmarked as desired, by use of a stencil screen.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel squeegee assemblyoffering rigidity and support to the line of rolling contact between thestencil screen and the article being stenciled, and further, providing ameans for controlling the quantity of ink or paint to pass through thestencil onto the article, thus enabling the operator to vary thethickness and intensity of the markings on said article.

Another object of this invention is to provide a suitable mechanism forthe adjustment and support under the screen of the cylindrical articleto be stenciled and further, offering a new means to facilitate theremoval of a stenciled article upon completion of the stencilingoperation and the positioning of a new article.

Other objects of the present invention will become apparent from theaccompanying drawings and the following specification which relate toone embodiment of the present invention. Variations thereof fallingwithin the scope of the appended claims will be apparent to personsskilled in the art.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferredembodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the apparatus shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of Figure 2 and showingthe work in elevated position and in contact with the screen.

Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the squeegee in its verticalposition.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 showing the squeegee in aslightly tilted position for heavier printing.

Figure 6 is a similar view showing the squeegee in another tiltedposition for light printing.

The invention herein described, in general, provides an improvedlstenciling apparatus for the marking of the curvedl surface ofcylindrical objects. The work is placed upon a support, consistingessentially of stationary rollers, suchthat the curved surface to bemarked may be brought in tangential rolling contact with the undersideof a silk stenciling screen which forms the bottomside of an ink trough.As the ink trough is moved in a direction tangential to the curvature ofthe work, the friction .between the screen and the work causes it torotate on its own axis. A stationary rubber squeegee, bearing on theline of contact between the screen and cylinder, causes the ink to passthrough the previously designed portions of the screen and onto thework.

The apparatus consists of a rectangular base I0, upon which is mountedand secured thereto a pair of parallel frame members II disposedlongitudinally of the machine. On their inner faces the frame members IIhave parallel, hori- Zontal grooved tracks I2 running longitudinallywith the frame and substantially coextensive with it but closed at therear end. These tracks act as both support and guide for thelongitudinal movement of the ink through I3 and screen 21.

The ink trough I3, which may be of wood, is preferably encased within ametal frame 34, which has a removable end plate 40 screwed to the endsof the frame 34 and provided with a handle 4I. The longitudinal elementsof the frame 34 are shaped to provide the shouldered portions 42 whichride in the groove I2. This arrangement provides for the easyreciprocation of the trough I3 with its screen 2l, and also provides forthe ready removal and replacement of the trough I3 and screen 2l in theframe 34.

The work supporting assembly is mounted on a rockable plate I4, securedand pivoted to frame members I I by pivot arm I5 at one end and, beingcut away to a two arm fork at the other end, it is supported there bythe eccentric oval shaped cams I6, upon which the arms of the fork rest.The raising or lowering of lever arm I'I rotates the eccentric cams I6,thus raising or lowering the entire work supporting assembly as desired.The height to which the supporting assembly will be raised each time iscontrolled by the catch spring I8 which is xed at the desired positionby the screw I9, adjustable in an elongated slot.

When the cylinder work piece C is in place and ready for printing,itrests upon four collar nuts 2|, held in place by set screws 22, twocollar nuts on each of two rotating rods 23 mounted transversely to theink trough I3 and supported by the vertical projections of the rightangle brackets 24. These brackets may be moved longitudinally alongplate I4 in grooves 25 to adjust the distance between rods 23 to suitvarying diameters of different sized cylinders to be inked.

The apparatus, then, is so designed that when lever I'I is up, theentire work supporting assembly is lowered, enabling the operator tomount cylinder C on the four supporting collar nuts 2I which arepositioned along rods 23 so that they support the ends of cylinder C.When in the proper position, set screws 22 are tightened, thus rigidlyxing the supporting collars in position. The lateral adjustment of rods23 by means of right angle brackets 24 and set by bolts 26 in elongatedslots 2l enables the operator to adjust the work supporting assembly tosuit the diameter of the cylindrical work piece. The lever I'I is thenlowered, causing the eccentric cams I6 to rotate and elevate the entireobject supporting assembly until cylinder C is iirmlyA pressed againstscreen 2l of the ink trough.

The squeegee assembly consists of a rubber squeegee 33 rigidly insertedin holder 35. Squeegee holder 35 is in turn positioned in slots 3U ofthe vertical squeegee standards 28 and vertically adjustable therein toattain the desired pressure of the squeegee against the stencil screenand the contact line of the work piece C. When adjusted to the properposition along slots 30, the squeegee is maintained in position by clampbolts 3I. Bolts 29, one in each of the standards 28 hold the entiresqueegee assembly xed to the frame members I2.

The squeegee assembly also undergoes another adjustment to vary theheaviness of the print or design stenciled on the work C. By looseningbolts 29, which are positioned so that their longitudinal axis normallylies in a Vertical plane with the leading edge, or working edge 36 ofthe rubber squeegee 33, the entire squeegee assembly may be rotatedslightly (to the extent of ve or ten degrees) about the longitudinalaxis of these bolts. When rotated, from an original vertical position,in a clockwise direction, (as viewed in Figure 6) and secured there as anew working position, less ink is forced through the stencil because asmaller area of the working portion of the rubber squeegee is brought tobear upon the stencil screen and the work C than originally, due to thebias out of the rubber squeegee; however, when rotated in a counterclockwise direction, the opposite is true, resulting in a heavier andmore intense marking of work C.

Thus in the operation of this apparatus, ink trough I3 is movedlongitudinally rearward along slide tracks I 2 until the operator caneasily reach and adjust the object supporting assembly. Work C is thenpositioned on collar nuts 2I, and the assembly is adjusted to lit thecylinder. With the work supporting assembly in its lowered position, inktrough I3 is moved outward along tracks I2. The work supporting assemblyis then raised until work C presses firmly against screen 21 andsqueegee edge 36, the latter serving as the back pressure element forthe rolling contact between the screen and work. The ink trough is thenmoved rearwardly along tracks I2, causing by friction work C to rotatein situ on roller rods 23, thus bringing dlierent portions of thecylinder in contact with different parts of the stencil screen, whilesqueegee 33 forces ink or paint through the designed parts of the screenonto the cylinder. At this point the work support assembly is lowered bymanipulating the lever I1. With the ink trough in its rear position andthe work support unit lowered, the work may be removed and a new workpiece fed int-o posiward position, the work support assembly raised andthe paint or ink trough moved to its rearward position which results inprinting the work piece.

The squeegee 33 is provided with a single beveled face 50 and its lowerworking edge 3B is substantially in line with the front face of thesqueegee. In its normal vertical position the working edge 3B of thesqueegee is in rm contact with the screen 2'I along a line which is halfway between the work supporting rollers 23. With the squeegee in thisposition, as shown in Figure 4, which is somewhat enlarged, it bearsdown over the cylindrical workpiece substantially along its diameter.The inclined or beveled face 50 being directly rearwardly, and themotion of the screen 2l being also rearwardly as indicated by the arrow,the very narrow working edge 36 of the squeegee serves to exert pressureupon the work over a relatively limited area through the stenciledportions of the screen 21. When, however, the squeegee is moved only afew degrees to the right, as shown in Figure 5, the edge 36 of thesqueegee lies forward of the -diameter of the workpiece and the squeegeeis more readily responsive to the pressure exerted by the workpiecethrough the screen with the result that the screen becomes slightlydistorted, as shown in Figure 5, and a substantial portion of thebeveled face 50 is pressed through the screen and against the work. As aresult of this relationship, more ink is trapped by the squeegee andmore ink is forced through the screen onto the work. On the contrary, asshown in Figure 6, if the squeegee is moved slightly ofi-center andrearwardly, then only the linear edge of the working portion of thesqueegee is eiective and the squeegee offers greater resistance toflattening and a smaller area of the squeegee contacts the screen. Underthese conditions less ink will be forced through the screen.

I claim:

l. An apparatus for stenciling cylindrical articles comprising a pair ofparallel frame members, a stencil screen carried by the frame membersand reciprocable therein, article supporting means disposed below thescreen and extending substantially the length of the frame members andpivotally supported by the frame members along a line transversely ofthe direction of movement of and parallel to the screen, the forward endof the supporting means having lowered and raised positions permittingin its lowered position the removal and feeding of articles, means forraising the forward end of said supporting means for raising an articleinto firm engagement with the screen and establishing rolling contacttherebetween, and a squeegee xedly supported by said frame members anddisposed over the supporting means and serving as a backing for thecontact between the article and the screen, the work thereby beingalways maintained parallel to the screen and the line of contact betweenthe work and screen being thereby subjected to uniform pressure.

2. A stenciling apparatus comprising a pair of parallel frame members, astencil screen carried by the frame members and reciprocable therein toand from retracted position, article supporting means disposed below thescreen and extending substantially the length of the frame members andpivotally supported by the frame members along a line transversely ofthe direction of movement of and parallel to the screen, the supportingmeans having at its forward end a pair of transverse parallel rods, acollar at each end of each rod, a squeegee supported by said frame anddisposed over the screen along a median line between said rods, andmeans for raising and lowering the forward end of said supporting meansfor raising an article supported by said collars into rm engagement withthe screen and pressed against the squeegee and providing for therotation and printing of said article by the movement of said screen andthe action of the squeegee against the screen, the work thereby beingalways maintained parallel to the screen andthe line of contact betweenthe work and screen being` thereby subjected to uniform pressure.

3. A stenciling apparatus 'comprising a pair of parallel frame memberseach having a guiding channel longitudinally of its inner face, astencil screen carried by said channels and reciprocable therein to andfrom retracted position, article supporting means disposed below thescreen and extending substantially the length of the frame members andpivotally supported by the yframe members along a line transversely ofthe direction of movement of and parallel to the screen, the supportingmeans having at its forward end a pair of transverse parallel rods,means for adjusting the distance between said rods, a rotatable collarat each end of each rod adjustable thereon, a squeegee supported by saidframe and disposed over the screen along a median line between saidrods, and means for raising and lowering the forward end of saidsupporting means for raising an article supported by said collars intofirm engagement with the screen and pressed against the squeegee andproviding for the rotation and printing of said article by the movementof said screen and the action of the squeegee against the screen, thework thereby being always maintained parallel to the screen and the lineof contact between the work and screen being thereby subjected touniform pressure.

4. Apparatus for stenciling small cylindrical articles comprising abase, a pair of parallel frame members xed thereon, a stencil screencarried by the frame member and reciprocable therein to and fromretracted position, a work supporting member disposed between the screenand base and extending substantially the length of the apparatus, therear end of the member being pivotally supported by the frame membersalong a line transversely of the direction of movement of and parallelto the screen, means for 6 raising and lowering the forward end of saidwork supporting member, permitting in its lowered position the feedingand removal of articles and in its raised position bringing the articleinto rm engagement with said screen and establishing rolling contacttherebetween, work supporting means carried by said member, and asqueegee mounted upon said frame members and disposed over saidsupporting meansand serving as a backing for the contact between thearticle and the screen, the work thereby being always maintainedparallel to the screen and squeegee and the line of contact between thework and the screen being thereby subjected to uniform pressure.

5. Apparatus for stenciling small cylindrical articles comprising abase, a pair of parallel frame members iixed thereon, a stencil screencarried by the frame members and reciprocable therein tov and fromretracted position, a work supporting member disposed between the screenand base and extending substantially the length of the apparatus, therear end of the member being pivotally supported by the frame membersalong a line transversely of the direction of movement of and parallelto the screen, means for raising and lowering the forward end of saidwork supporting member, said supporting member carrying supporting meansat its forward end comprising adjustably positioned transverse parallelrods, and a squeegee supported by said parallel frame members anddisposed over said screen along a median line between said rods, andoperating to form a backing for the pressure of the article against saidscreen, the work thereby being always maintained parallel to the screenand squeegee and the line of contact between the work and the screenbeing thereby subjected to uniform pressure.

HENRY ANDREW GATTUSO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

